Shortman and Pataki
by incalculablewonder
Summary: A series of one shots involving Helga and Arnold in various stages of life. This is my first fanfiction attempt. Warning: Be prepared for Fluff.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Craig Bartlette owns all the characters and Hey Arnold.

Also this is my first fanfic so please review! More to come if this is liked!

I don't want to include a lot of background before hand since these are one shots and I think reading them is the best way to get the context.

Arnold's boots made deep imprints in the newly fallen snow outside the old red building. It was late and the street lamp flickered, finally deciding to illuminate the stoop in a soft yellow light. He came up to the green door and nudged it open as a gust of chilling wind invaded the home and blew in a whirl of snowflakes. Arnold quickly closed the door behind him and shivered. 'Another long and cold day' he thought to himself as he slipped out of his snow-covered boots, letting them make a puddle under the coat rack and placed his coat above.

The old house was quite; most of the boarders were probably asleep in their rooms at this time of night. The lights were out in all of the rooms except the one drawing him to the end of the hallway. He trudged up the stairs recollecting all the tiring events of the day with his patients. He really didn't like working so late, or coming home so tired, but being the self-less professional he was he stayed late when a few patients asked for emergency therapy sessions.

He lifted his body up the stairs one by one and let down the second set of stairs up to his room. They creaked as they came down and Arnold sighed preparing his tired body for another ascent. He reached his bedroom door and opened it gently making sure not to create too much noise. Instantly, he felt the warmth inside and a subtle, but unmistakably familiar, vanilla scent entered his nostrils. He closed his eyes and inhaled for a second letting his shoulders relax and finally feeling at home. The room was dark except for the dim light and quite hum of a television in the corner across from the bed. He eased out of his work cloths and took out a pair of pajama bottoms from the dresser. They were soft and comforting, and reminded him of how desperately he needed sleep. He went over and switched the TV off before moving to the bed where a figure lay facing the wall. He could tell she was sleeping. Her breathing was slow and even, and she made no motion to move as he slipped under the covers and edged closer. He wrapped his arm around her middle and buried his face in her wavy blond hair that was currently cascading all over their pillows. 'Yes, definitely vanilla' he smiled to himself as he cuddled closer. As he gently began to graze her exposed neck with light kisses, the woman hummed in pleasure and shifted to turn over to face him in his arms. She slowly opened her eyes groggily,

"I tried to wait up for you," she said with a slight frown of disappointment for falling asleep without achieving her goal. Arnold gave a small, exhausted chuckle and reached his hand out to gently stroke Helga's **now** large, round abdomen.

"You have the most important job of all, no wonder you two were exhausted. Besides you deserve all the rest you can get". He looked down into her eyes as a smile began to appear on her features and she placed her hand over his.

"It's not long now," she said gazing up into his eyes. Arnold smiled and leaned over to place a kiss on her stomach right above their hands before moving back up.

"I..." he kissed her forehead, "can't…" he kissed her nose, "wait" he covered her mouth with his. He broke the kiss and looked at Helga's face, slightly flushed from the contact and eyes still closed reveling in the moment. "Good night, Helga" he said as he leaned back onto his pillow with a content smile and brought her in closer.

"Good night, my love" Helga whispered as she nuzzled her face into the crock of his neck and the two drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Craig Bartlette owns all the characters and Hey Arnold.**

 **Summary: This is set later on in the couple's life. I intended this to be a humorous, yet sweet short tale of Arnold and Helga as parents.**

 **Thank you for reviewing! Please keep doing it if you have time. I want to hear people's opinions.**

"I won't do it! I won't allow it! There's no way! I object!" Arnold flew through the boarding house door, dropping his brief case and discarding his coat with no particular grace. His voice boomed through the kitchen causing Helga to abandon the half-rinsed dishes and rush to the entrance.

"You won't do what? Arnold, what is it? What happened?" She asked quickly ringing a dishtowel through her hands wiping off suds in the process.

"I won't let her. She can't leave. She's too young!" Arnold ignored Helga's questions and was now pacing back and forth in the small hallway waving his arms to exaggerate his hysteric state.

"What are you talking about, babe?" Helga asked confused at her husband's outburst and trying to get his attention.

"My daughter, my little girl, what was I thinking when I gave them my blessing? I mean she's only 23. She has a whole year of graduate school left, and we were planning a trip to San Lorenzo for her thesis, and she can't move out of the boarding house this has been her home since she was born!" Arnold was getting more and more distressed listing all of the reasons he believed his daughter should just forget about that man, no _boy_ , she said 'yes' to and just stay his little princess for the next, oh I don't know, 50 years!

Finally realizing what this fit was about Helga relaxed against the kitchen doorway and let out a chuckle.

"Oh Arnold," she shook her head and continued to laugh to herself. "Follow me."

"Where are we going Helga? We have to do something _right_ now!"

"Just come with me football head!" She shot him a scowl over her shoulder from her spot already half way up the stairs. Arnold reluctantly followed her up until they entered his old bedroom, now transformed into an evidently feminine space that their daughter had occupied for the past 23 years. Helga climbed up the wall ladder and nudged the skylight open, sticking her head through.

"Come up here and look!" she commanded. Arnold reluctantly climbed and looked through the open window, the frosty winter wind hitting his cheeks.

The older couple came up just in time to witness a snowball softly hit the back of a woman's head. She stood at 5'5" with golden hair in waves like her mother and emerald eyes like her father. On the other side of the roof a young man with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes released a laugh and ducked behind a protruding vent.

"Oh, I'm going to get you for that! The snow went right down my jacket and it's freezing!" The woman shrieked simultaneously advancing towards the man's hiding spot and trying to shake out the cold flakes. She was defiantly her mother's daughter.

The young man sprang to his feet and approached her, quickly grabbing her hands before she had a chance to retaliate with her own snowball attack.

"Why'd you do that?" the woman asked, now with no real menace.

"I think you're adorable when you're all flustered and mad" said the man as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Adorable?" Whispered the woman. Their breaths mingled in puffs of small white clouds out in the wintery afternoon.

"Gorgeous, actually" he replied. Eyes closed, faces close, they both remained there, in each other's arms just savoring this moment as the snow drifted down around them.

"I love you" The man finally broke the short silence "so, so much."

The woman enveloped his lips in a kiss and her arms encircled his neck.

"I love you too."

They remained like that for a few moments before she dashed away to grab some snow, "but I'm still going to get you back for that one" she giggled. Her fiancé ran in the opposite direction echoing her laugh.

Helga turned to her husband, "Now you go out there and tell them that they can't be together!" Arnold's face contorted into a frown, but he showed no sign of leaving his spot next to his wife.

Helga continued, "they're in love Arnold, just as much as we are. He makes her happy and she does the same for him." She paused for a moment and reached out to touch his face "remember when you proposed to me on this same roof? We were only 18 as I remember, and although we didn't get married until after college, my dad sure gave you a heck of a lot of trouble for trying for an earlier wedding date. Let them be, my love." She stepped down from their perch dragging Arnold after her.

"She's not leaving you or me. I don't want to see her grow up either, but I know that if I didn't marry you I would burst. She's our daughter and she has that same fire, that same passion! Don't try to tame it, even if you think it will make you happier if she's here forever." She paused letting her words sink in as Arnold looked down at their feet. She lifted his face gently with her palm "I love you football head". She smiled searching his eyes for a response.

He released a defeated sigh, "I love you too Helga, you know that. I just don't want to let her go. The time went by too quickly. She was just in here, five years old, building castle forts, and dressing me up to have tea with her. You know that all I want is to see her happy."

"I know darling, I know." Helga pulled him into a tight hug, which Arnold eagerly returned. "I'll tell you a secret that might cheer you up."

"Oh yea?" He chuckled, "and what might that be?"

"They decided to rent an apartment right across the street." Helga smirked and kissed a now stunned Arnold as she headed back to the soapy dishes waiting downstairs. Arnold stood as his grin grew in excitement before dashing after his wife yelling, "Well, I guess we have to start getting the invitations ready then. Do you think they need help moving or fixing up the place?!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Craig Bartlette owns all the characters and Hey Arnold.**

 **Summary: I decided to elaborate more on that roof top proposal. Fluff intended. I apologize if it's too much.**

 **Thank you for reviewing! Please keep doing it if you have time. I want to hear people's opinions.**

Helga climbed the stairs up to the attack room in that old boarding house that she had grown to consider a second home over the years. She opened the door to the room and surprisingly found no one present. She checked her phone in confusion making sure she read the text correctly.

 **Arnold: Hey Helga, can you meet me at my place at around 7? We need to discuss a few things.**

She didn't like that phrasing, let alone him using her name rather than the usual pet name (restricted for private use ONLY) and immediately began thinking of all the possible things he had to "discuss" with her. Had she done something wrong? Did she do something to offend him? She didn't think so, but with college on the horizon in just a few short weeks maybe he was having second thoughts about their relationship? What if he wanted to try something, someone, new in college? What if he wanted to start this new chapter as a free man?

As she sat in her room that morning she drove herself crazy thinking of all the possibilities and decided to head to his place early to get whatever this was, over with. She rushed to her shower and after, made sure to pick out the pink sundress that showed just the right amount of well, all her good features: legs, chest, and so forth. Arnold loved that dress, he even told her so on several occasion.

'He'll never be able to break up with me when I'm in this right?' She questioned herself silently.

She paid particular attention to every detail about the way she looked. She combed her hair so it lay cascading down her shoulder and to her mid back in a sea of golden waves. She even brought out her old pink ribbon to fashion as a headband. As the time passed she got more and more nervous about this conversation she was invited over for. As her clock read 5 she decided enough was enough and she needed to see him NOW.

This brings us to the present moment, Helga looking confused at an empty room.

"Arnold, are you in here?" She asked timidly looking around the door and across the room. When she looked towards the skylights something caught her eye. From her vantage point she saw the twinkling of string lights on the roof.

'Well, that wasn't there two days ago' she thought. Helga decided to investigate and made her way up to the roof. As she reached her destination, she finally saw her beloved football head. He was fiddling with a record player that refused to cooperate and was clearly cursing under his breath at his failed efforts to get it working.

"Arnold?" Helga drew his attention away from the frustrating technology.

"Helga!" Arnold yelped and jumped up, clearly on edge and in a slight panic. He quickly gazed at his watch and noticed the time only read 5:20.

"What are you doing here so early? You can't be here! Leave!"

Helga's faced fell to a mix of surprise and hurt at Arnold's strange reaction to her presence.

Arnold quickly began to stumble over his words realizing his mistake. "Um…Sorry…Um what I mean is… is that you shouldn't be here. I mean not yet anyways!"

"I'm sorry football head I just couldn't wait for you to tell me what it is you dragged my all the way here for." Helga's tone already shifted to one of annoyance and she was growing angry at this whole situation. "I mean crimey, what do you have some other girl coming here and then you're going to break up with me for her? Is that why you told me to meet you here to 'discuss' something?" Helga made air quotes at the discuss part and her voice began to rise.

"What?!" Arnold was taken aback and his face held such a cute confused expression that Helga couldn't help but let down her guard a little, but ONLY a little.

"No! What? That's ridiculous, why would you think that?" Arnold strode towards his girlfriend quickly to stand next to her and gently rub her arm in reassurance.

"Helga, I'm not breaking up with you! I love you! Why in the world would you think that? I need you to go down to my room and wait because your surprise isn't ready yet."

Helga finally breathed a sign of relief and cracked a smirk "Well why didn't you just say so, Arnoldo?" She turned, hand on her hip for sassy exaggeration, and went to retreat back into the room below. Right before disappearing below the glass roof she turned with a loving smile and said, "Oh and Arnold, I love you too."

Arnold stood looking at the empty space she had just occupied seconds ago and shock his head with a chuckle. "That girl drives me crazy. Hopefully, for the rest of my life." And with that he went back to tinkering with the old record player.

Half an hour later Arnold popped his head into his room and announced that Helga could come up "…but keep your eyes closed when you reach the roof!"

"Well, shesh football head, so demanding." Helga teased as she climbed up, but followed instructions. As she stood on the roof with eyes closed she could clearly hear the light, romantic jazz playing from the record player and she could feel the cool breeze of the summer sunset. She smiled as the remaining rays warmed her check and she could smell something wonderful around her. Was it flowers? Roses? Arnold took her hands into his.

"Ok, now open."

Again, Helga followed instructions and when she did so she saw the romantic scene Arnold created. The roof was illuminated in the soft pink light of the setting sun and accented by the string lights strung up, created a magical escape from the city below. Rose petals surrounded a blanket with pillows in the center and she saw what was possibly Champaign in a bucket by the sitting area.

"You did this all for me?" She turned to him and asked as if not believing her own eyes or senses.

"Of course!" Arnold was grinning ear-to-ear pleased with Helga's stunned reaction. Her eyes were wide showing every inch of her crystal blue irises and her mouth turned into the most brilliant smile. Arnold had to restrain himself from taking her then and there. No, he was on a mission; he had something important to discuss. He led her over to the blanket and they sat down cuddling and gazing out at the setting sun for a few brief moments before Helga broke the silence.

"Arnold, why did you do all this for me? It's not our anniversary or my birthday? Not to say I don't love everything you did. I do! This is the most romantic thing! Thank you, but why?"

Arnold didn't bother to answer her and instead replied with a question of his own, "Helga, where do you see yourself in 5 years or let's say 20?"

The question took her a little by surprise, but the answer came quickly.

"With you." She said with as much conviction and love as she could, although it didn't compare to how much she actually felt.

At this Arnold grinned and reached into his back pocket as he lifted out a small black velvet box.

"Same." He opened the box to reveal a small diamond ring. It was a single diamond set in a simple band setting and it was perfect. It took Helga's breath away. The entire moment, the shock of it, crimey they were only 18! She looked down at the ring and back at Arnold who had shifted to one knee.

"Helga, I love you, I know I should be reading romantic poems and accolades right now, but that's more your forte" He continued with a chuckle "but all I know when I look at you is that I love you and I can't lose you. I know we are only 18 and this isn't conventional, but neither is our relationship. It has withstood so much. Loss, separation, fights, laughing, loving, everything. You're my soul mate, best friend, and I want to make you my wife. Will you marry me?"

Helga just continued to stare at him. As the silence continued, Arnold began to sweat and nervously continued,

"I know what you must be thinking, this is so sudden and we are young, but I'm not asking to get married ASAP no matter how much I want to and I've been thinking about this for the past year and I think, no I KNOW this is right, it feels right and I know we can accomplish anything we want as long as we do it together and…"

"Yes." His rant was interrupted by Helga's voice piercing the air.

"Yes?" Arnold questioned, still unsure he heard her correctly.

"YES!" She was beaming now.

"Wait you mean it?" Arnold asked again not believing his ears or his luck.

Helga launched herself at him attacking him with kisses anywhere she could plant them on his face.

"YES! YES! YES!" She yelled, probably scaring some neighbors and pedestrians in the process.

He was now lying on his back with her looming over him and a radiant smile playing on her lips. Helga extended her left hand, fingers spread waiting for Arnold to slip the ring on. He did so quickly so they could get back to their previous physical activity. With one last deep kiss they broke apart for air.

"We really doing this? Do your grandparents know? How did you get this ring?" Helga was running on a high and couldn't stop the train of questions pouring from her mouth. Arnold only laughed and answered, "I'll explain everything, and it was grandma's idea to get the sparkling cider since we can't legally drink yet, so I think they know." At that moment the couple saw a flash of light from the open skylight and caught a glimpse of gray hair along with Pooki's signature laugh echoing off in the distance.

Helga brought Arnold's forehead to her own creating an intimate world only they were privileged to.

"I should have more questions, but all I can come up with right now is that I love you." Helga inched closer as Arnold's hands rapped around her waist.

"I think that's the most important part anyway." He smiled "Thank you for saying yes."

"No was never an option, you're mine forever and soon it will be legal! Just try and get away now football head." Helga said teasingly.

"Whatever you say, Helga." Arnold brought his lips to hers to celebrate their new adventure with another kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Craig Bartlette owns all the characters and Hey Arnold.**

 **Summary: So this might be a slightly more M rated one. There is some hinting towards explicit activities. Thought this would be funny, but glad it never happened to me!**

 **Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been working and deciding between grad schools so I was a tad preoccupied. I'm glad I had time to get back to this though and I have some ideas for more one-shots.**

 **Thank you all for reviewing! I really appreciate all the feedback and I'm glad some of you are enjoying. Please keep doing it if you have time!**

The door squeaked open as Helga stepped through; she slipped out of her shoes and began heading up to her room. The house was usually quit and basically abandoned on Saturday evenings so she could sneak up to her room without anyone realizing she wasn't there in the first place. Bob was probably working (what a surprise), and Miriam was slumped over, deep asleep on the couch probably with an empty 'smoothie' cup near by. Only the light from a TV somewhere in the corner of the trophy room would signal that there was someone else present in the home besides Helga herself. She just reached her door when she heard the doorbell. She wasn't expecting anyone, but curiosity got the best of her and she went to investigate. When she opened the door she found Arnold standing on her stoop with an excited and cocky grin on his face. He rushed to collide their lips and cradled the back of Helga's head gently to ensure she wouldn't fall back from surprise.

"I missed you!" He whispered keeping his face only an inch from hers.

Helga laughed, "I just left your place, Football head! You missed me the whole ten minutes it took me to walk home?"

Arnold smiled, "I realized that I didn't want you to go just yet. Can I come in?" he asked sheepishly.

Helga returned his smirk, "Do you really think you're up for another round? I mean we did spend the WHOLE day together. I know you're 17 and we aren't new at this, but really?"

Arnold knew from her lighthearted teasing that he shouldn't have even asked for the invitation in the first place. He was always welcome.

He responded to the challenge with another lingering kiss on his girlfriend's lips and shut the door behind them.

Helga snuggled deeper into her pillow. The rays of the early morning sun danced on her bare back and she refused to let the morning claim her just yet. As she slowly opened her eyes she was graced with the sleeping form of her boyfriend completely content under her girly, pink covers. She managed a quite "good morning" in her half-conscious bliss before she realized the gravity of their particular predicament and shot up, "OH MY GOD, Arnold!"

The urgency and volume of her voice instantly woke him up with such surprise that he tumbled from the bed and landed with an echoing thump. "Owwww!" He rubbed his head. Slightly dazed from his wake up call he asked, "What's wrong, what is it?!"

"It's the morning!"

His eyes widened with the same realization; he had spent the night, like the ENTIRE night. Sure Helga stays over at his place at least once or twice a week and they had fooled around in her house before, but they were always careful to avoid her parents' awareness. This, of course, was never a challenging task what with Bob always working, and Miriam "sleeping". Still they were careful not to engage Helga's parents in the knowledge that their daughter had a boy over.

At that moment a knock on the door brought a new, deafening silence to the room.

"Helga, we heard a loud sound. Is everything alright in there?" Miriam droned on the other side.

Helga was about to respond when the door opened. There stood her parents, both of them, looking at her boyfriend on her bedroom floor in only his boxers and her, wrapped in only her pink sheet. Her eyes darted between Arnold's paralyzed expression and her parents, finally deciding to settle on her mother's shocked face, which now almost matched her own in panic. With a cognizance that Helga rarely saw from her mother, Miriam briskly shut the door before Big Bob could fully realize what he had witnessed.

The discovered teens stayed in their respective spots until they heard steps descending the stairs.

"So….I guess they definitely know now." Arnold sounded surprisingly calm for just having his girlfriend's parents find them in such a compromising position.

"Yup, yup I think they know." Helga agreed, still a bit in shock.

"So, this means I can stay for breakfast right?" Arnold chuckled.

Helga chucked a pillow and nailed him right in the face.

She was glad Arnold was so good at breaking the tension.

"Shut up, football head!" she told him in fake annoyance and began to laugh along with him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Craig Bartlette owns all the characters and Hey Arnold.**

 **Summary: This heads a little further in time and I wanted to address the topic of Helga and Arnold having more children. Thank you for reviewing and yes, I think they should have more than one too! This chapter touches on some of Helga's insecurities I think she would have growing her family.**

 **A/N: Thank you all for reviewing. I'm a huge fluff nut so it's nice to know it's appreciated. Anyway, thank you for the ideas as well! I'll be working on one where she tells Arnold she's pregnant and a few more scenarios I've been playing around with. Keep reviewing if you can!**

Arnold flopped down unceremoniously on the bed. His face landed on his pillow, which muffled his exhausted grunt.

"Did you finally get her down?" Helga asked putting her book aside and tugging on the covers for him to get in.

Arnold turned his head to the side to face her, but made no move to lift his body, just let it play like a dead weight on the covers, arms splayed out to the sides.

"How can a four year old have so much energy? She's NEVER tired! We read five different stories before she even considered getting into bed." He tried to sound annoyed at his daughter's behavior, but he could never truly be upset at her for being such a rambunctious personality.

Helga chuckled, "She's a reader like her mother."

Arnold's face lit up and he finally sat up, "I know I might just be saying this because I'm her father, but, Helga, our daughter is a genius! She's only four, but she reads along with me, and after dinner we were doing second grade, SECOND GRADE, math problems! I've never seen a little girl so bright! And the way she took to the piano, I swear she'll be a concern pianist if she decides not to be a professional softball player. She's the ONLY one in that tots T-ball class that can hit the ball off the post on the first swing. It's kind of scary how amazing she is at everything, how did we get so lucky?"

Helga giggled along with him, "That, she gets from her father."

Arnold stole a quick kiss before going to the dresser to get ready to join his wife for the night. As he turned back to face the bed, Helga was unusually quite. She had her hands around her pregnant belly and was staring down at it sullenly, clearly deep in thought.

Arnold's face dropped as well, and he quickly crawled in next to her wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong?"

Helga bit her lip and sighed thinking of the right words.

"Stella is so perfect, and we are having this new baby. I'm so excited but I can't help but think about my parents. I don't want us, or me, to act like they did praising Stella and putting her on a pedestal while ignoring our other children. I love Stella so much and I already love this baby, but what if it's not the same? What if I can't give him what I give Stella? What if I can't break the cycle and this baby ends up feeling neglected and never as good as his big sister? That would break me, it would break me so wholly and completely I wouldn't know what to do." tears began to pool at her eyes as she began to unravel her deepest insecurities.

Arnold wiped escaped tears from her cheek and turned her to him.

"You are not your mother, or your father for that matter. You are an amazing mother and Stella wants for nothing. Neither will this baby. You know how I know?"

Helga shook her head looking up at him with those puppy dog eyes that always made him melt.

"Because you already love this baby. You are excited about every aspect, just look at all the things in his nursery already." Arnold chuckled in his attempt to lighten the mood.

"You went through something no child should, you were amazing in your own right and I'm so sorry your parents couldn't have seen it earlier. You would never do that, the fact that you are worried about it already says as much. We're a team and we will work together to make sure all of our children feel loved, appreciated, intelligent, talented, and most of all important. We made them, two people that love each other more than words can describe and because of that we will NEVER become your parents."

With her anxieties quelled Helga nodded and reached to hug her husband, "Thank you, you're right."

As they embraced, her stomach moved on it's own accord so much that even Arnold felt a very subtle nudge due to their proximity.

"He says thank you too!" Helga laughed.

Arnold chucked as well, "He should really have a name. We only have a few weeks left to decide."

Helga pecked him on the lips and turned over to turn out her bedside lamp, "That's a discussion for the morning hair boy, me and your son are tired. We were taking care of a super energetic little girl today and need to do it all again tomorrow."

He rolled his eyes but smiled, relieved to know his wife was no longer in a state of worry and settled in to cuddle her under the blanket.

"Whatever you say, Helga."


End file.
